


Bright Lights

by clowsan



Series: The Midnight Sun [1]
Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Boardwalk Fair, F/M, First Love, Matchmaker Foggy, Matt is smooth, but also a dork
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2015-06-27
Packaged: 2018-04-06 13:01:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4222662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clowsan/pseuds/clowsan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Claire has always been a weird one</p><p>She is always busy fiddling with her camera, choosing the correct focus and adjusting the strength of the flash instead of giggling about boys. She is lost in the images her negatives produced, barely participating on her friends gossip about the people in their school. She finds more pleasure in her photographs than any makeup or clothes or shoes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bright Lights

**Author's Note:**

  * For [youareiron_andyouarestrong](https://archiveofourown.org/users/youareiron_andyouarestrong/gifts).



The boardwalk is usually silent during the night. Not too many people like the cold sea air and the dark and ever changing shoreline. Only after dawn has broken that people return. Joggers with music pumping through their earphone, children with their parents playing and swimming, young sweethearts taking an early morning stroll and lose in their own world.

But tonight the boardwalk is alive. Lit up like a Christmas tree that can be seen miles and miles away into the heart of the city. The fair has arrived and many has come to join in the revelry. There is music pouring out of the numerous speakers, barely heard over the screams of joy and laughter and general hub of excitement. Colorful booths offer games, toys and food. Merchants peddling balloons and all sort of knickknacks. And rides, so many rides.

A group of girls walk by the rides, uninterested, searching the crowds. One at the back of the pack, barely sixteen, stops before the carousel, cream with intricate gold designs. Its white and yellow lights burning as it turns in time with some circus like tune. Her reflection is captured in one of the column mirrors. A face that is caught between childhood and adulthood. Cheekbones high, warm brown eyes, dark curls tumbling over her shoulders and a camera hanging around her neck. 

"Claire!" Her friends calls out, returning for her. Their faces are impatient. “Come on.” 

“I see James over there,” one of them exclaims.

The girl does not join her friends’ questions of “Where?” Nor does she look to see where the one points in response. This does not surprise her friends. Claire has always been a weird one.

She is always busy fiddling with her camera, choosing the correct focus and adjusting the strength of the flash instead of giggling about boys. She is lost in the images her negatives produced, barely participating on her friends gossip about the people in their school. She finds more pleasure in her photographs than any makeup or clothes or shoes. 

“Claire!” Her friends try again to gain her attention but she is already stepping back from the carousel checking her angles. They shake their heads and shrug their shoulders. They move to their predetermined path to James.

Claire does not even notice them leave, trying to find the perfect shot.

She takes a step back and another and another. She is so intent in what she is doing that she does not notice the path is not clear until she is tumbling down to the aged planks of the boardwalk. Her arm instinctively shoots out to stop her fall but she still lands with a muffled thud. 

The sky looks very vast from where she is laying down. Somebody clearing their throat, drags her attention away from the stars. 

"Excuse me.” A voice says in an even and labored tone. “I would very much like to stand now."

Claire pans her head to her right where she can see a mop of dark hair. She has landed on someone. She uses her elbows to help herself off the poor person underneath her. She dusts herself and watches as the boy, for now she knows he is a boy, scrambles on his knees.

"Sorry about that," she apologizes when he stands up. His back to her. "I didn't see you." 

He is taller than her with broad shoulder. His striped long-sleeved shirt and dark jeans seem too thin for the weather. 

“Well if it makes you feel better. I didn’t see you too.” He turns around. The first thing she notices is the red-tinted glasses that rest on the bridge of his nose. Then the white walking stick he holds in his hand. Her mouth forms a small “o” before she catches herself.

“Oh sure, that makes me feel _loads_ better.” She replies with a tinge of sarcasm and his lips curls up to smile. 

She thinks it makes his face light up. It crinkles the corners of his eyes. Her fingers itch over her camera to take a picture but the smile is gone almost immediately. His face settles back to a smooth and earnest and almost grave countenance.

 _It is rude and creepy to just take a picture of a stranger without asking._ She reminds herself.

They stand in awkward silence for a moment. She is unwilling to leave with such a fantastic subject in front of her. Not until she takes a picture of him, smiling.

“I’m Claire, by the way.” She introduces herself, about to offer her hand but remembers and sticks it in her cardigan instead. 

He tilts his head. “Matt.” 

“I was trying to take a picture of the carousel, that’s why I... bump into...” Her cheeks colors at her halting attempts of a conversation. It is not usual for her to start one. 

Matt’s eyebrow is cocked. It is difficult with his glasses but he appears confused and intrigued. “That sounds fascinating.” He says kindly. 

She nods, confidence surging on the subject of her interest. “This place has wonderful attractions. I really like it here.” His lips purses at her last statement and it is her turn to lift an eyebrow. “Which I guess is not true for you.”

He shrugs and pulls on his left ear. “It’s too loud.” He says it simply and she wonders why he is here when he finds it to be loud. As if reading her thoughts he continued, “But my friends like it here.” He cocks his head towards his general right. 

She looks over his shoulder to one of the ring toss booths. Her eyes immediately catches two teens. A tall boy with a round face and slicked back blonde hair. His tongue is peeking out of the corner of his mouth in concentration as he tosses a ring. Beside him is a redheaded girl holding a clear plastic tote bag filled with stuffed toys in the crook of her pale elbow. She seems to be cheering the boy on. “Are they the two who wants to clean out the prizes in the ring toss?”

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” He answers in that exasperated yet fond tone, a person reserves for loved ones. 

She covers her mouth and chuckles. Matt’s head perks up in a way that reminds her puppy when she arrives home from school. She opens her mouth to ask him what is up but is cut off by a boisterous voice.

“What’s this?” It is Matt’s blonde friend. He waves an accusing hand, that is not carrying the bag of stuffed toys, between Claire and Matt. “We leave you for ten minutes and you find this stunning young lady for company?”

The red-haired girl shakes her head and affectionately pats the boy’s chest. “Foggy, babe, you’re overreacting again.” 

Foggy’s answering pout is hilarious and Claire fights to keep a straight face. Matt’s lips quirks up into half a smile. 

“Well don’t be rude, Murdock. Introduce your new friend to me and Karen.”

*

Somehow Claire is dragged into another social outing tonight. She blames Foggy’s persistence. Though, she has to admit that it is more enjoyable than her last one. Foggy, Karen and Matt are more delightful company than her friends from school and their search for James Wesley.

All she wants is a picture of a smiling Matt but she gets is a night of side splitting laughter. For two Catholic prep school boys, Matt and Foggy's humor is pretty risqué and not to mention witty. Claire tries to snap a few pictures but she does not think they will come out as good because her hands are shaking with mirth as she takes them.

Karen buys them all kettle corn and as the sweet and salty morsel melts on her tongue Claire barely stops herself from professing her love for the other girl. She does not think Foggy will approve. Or maybe he will.

“Sorry about Foggy.” Matt cuts through her thoughts. "He's excited about new people."

His walking stick is tip tapping over the wood. It is a comforting sound. In front of them, his friends walk together. Foggy's arm over Karen's shoulder, tucking the girl against his side.

"It's okay. This has been fun." She pauses. "Is it normal for them to be walking in front like this?" 

"No. Fog's playing matchmaker again." He answers resignedly. "He thinks that because he is in a happy relationship, I should be too."

As if on cue, Foggy peeks at them over his shoulder before quickly ducking his head again. Probably to report to Karen. 

"Well Foggy has good taste." Claire comments. 

Matt takes in breath that sounds a lot like a snort. "Vanity is a sin, Ms. Temple." 

It is her turn to snort. She tries to punch his arm but somehow he evades it. "You're smug." She points out, not unkindly. 

He shrugs in a way that proves her point. All smooth movement of his shoulders and confident nonchalance. "I've been told it's one of my better qualities." 

She rolls her eyes but a soft smile tugs at her lips. Her breath catches when the familiar sight of the ferris wheel entered her field of vision. It dominates the fair's skyline. It is what drew her in this place. Red, blue and white lights are striking as the wheel rotates in a lazy pace.

"What is it?" Matt asks as if sensing her awe.

In lieu of answering, she calls out to the couple in front of them. "Hey lovebirds!"

Foggy and Karen looks back at them. Both with a questioning cocked on their eyebrows.

“What do you think about riding the ferris wheel?”

Karen’s answering smile is all the reply Claire needed. 

*

The line for the ferris wheel is a long one. Claire takes that time to snap as many pictures as she can. The position of the line gives her the perfect upshot. A big smile has not left her face and she feels quite accomplished. 

"You really like taking pictures, don't you?" Matt asks, in an amused tone. 

Her eye is behind the viewer, focused on her subject. She absentmindedly nods to his question and the silence stretches between them. Her mind finally catches up and she blushes. “Oh sorry. I--”

“Did you nod?” 

“Yes. I didn’t mean to...” 

He waves her apologies away with a wave and a chuckle. “It’s fine. It’s fine.” He assures her. “Have you gotten a photograph of everything you want?” 

Claire purses her lips and clutches her camera closer to her body at his question. There is one picture she has not taken. The one that she originally wants. One where Matt is smiling that smile that crinkles the corner of his eyes and makes his face look like his age. “Actually, Matt I want to ask you something.”

He tilts his head towards her. “Yeah?”

She opens her mouth to voice out her request but the line is moving and she lets out a sigh. Maybe later. 

Each gondola can hold two people. Foggy and Karen let them take one first. _Don’t have too much fun_ , are the blonde boy’s parting words to them before the attendant closes the door. Karen waves her dainty hand in goodbye.

The space is a bit cramped. Matt’s tall frame barely fits in without kicking her until they realize it is futile to sit across each other. Claire has just sat down beside Matt when the gondola jerks into motion. It jars her to lean more against the boy than she is planning to do. She takes in his clean scent and blushes at their closeness. She pulls back a bit, trying to establish an amount of distance.

“Sorry.” She says, kinda breathlessly.

Her ears may be deceiving her but she thinks he sounds a little breathless too when he replies, “It’s okay.”

They are saved from any awkward silence by the ride. The gondola is lacking in space but it affords them a 360 degrees view of the whole boardwalk. Claire’s eye widens as they climb higher and higher into the air. From way up here, the fair reminds her of a glittering river of light branching out and converging. It seems almost alive. She quickly snaps a few pictures. Her film is in its last three shots. She glances to her side and notices that a small smile is pulling at Matt’s lips. 

“Enjoying yourself?” She asks. 

“It’s quiet here.” He replies, simply. 

Claire stops and pays attention. He is right. It is quiet up here. She studies him and thinks he looks perfect in this state of tranquility. The slight breeze is moving his dark hair in slight dishevelment. She runs her fingers through in an attempt to fix it before she has a chance to think about it. He takes in a loud intake of breath. 

“Sorry.” She says, pulling her fingers back. But his hand is on her wrist before she can go far.

“No. It-- it feels good,” A faint blush appears across the bridge of his nose. “I was just surprise.”

She smiles a bit before she puts her hand back on his face and caresses her fingers against his cheek. He leans in, just ever so slightly. Her knuckles brush against his red tinted glasses.

"Can I?" She asks. 

"Yeah." He murmurs, still lost in her delicate touch.

She carefully removes his glasses and tucks it in his shirt. Matt's eyes are a beautiful shade of hazel. She wishes she has more light to study them. They do not focus on her face but rather on a point somewhere over her ear. 

“See something you like?” He inquires, slyly.

This time he does not evade her punch to his arm. She thinks it’s because he did not have space to maneuver without plummeting them to a certain type of death. 

“ _Ow…_ ” He says in an exaggerated manner, rubbing where she hit him. “I didn’t know you’re so violent.”

“Oh shut it.” She replies. 

He grins at her reply. It looks even more beautiful without his glasses. His eyes completes the image, almost crescent in shape in his amusement. Claire remembers about the picture she has not yet taken. 

“Can I take a picture of you?” She asks. Her words tumbling out of her mouth. 

“Uh… yeah?” He replies, uncertain. “Haven’t you been taking picture of us all night?”

“No, well yes... But I want one with just you.” Her face feels warm when she finishes that statement. 

His face is kind though. “ _Sure._ ” He says, softly. “It’s not like I can go anywhere.”

Claire fights the urge to punch him again. She fiddles with her camera adjusting the aperture and the focus. She counts, “One, two, three. Smile.”

She feels kinda disappointed when he slips his glasses back on when the ride ends.

*  
Karen has decided to share with Claire some of the stuffed toys Foggy won for her to commemorate the night. The dark haired girl thinks it is a sweet gesture. They rummage through her plastic tote bag for something that Claire wants. 

It is then that Foggy drags Matt away. She can see them bickering. Matt is shaking his head vehemently as Foggy seems to be articulating something using his hands. He looks insistent and at one point nudges Matt. 

“Foggy’s probably telling him to ask you out.” Karen says handing her a fluffy caramel colored teddy bear with green eyes and a red ribbon around its neck.

Claire blushes as she accepts the toy. “Thank you.” She glances back at the boys. Matt looks agitated but then resigned. Her heart tightens at the thought of Matt asking her out just to pacify his friend. 

Karen smiles and pats the other girl’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. Sometimes Matt needs a push to do something he wants but thinks he won’t have a chance with.” 

The boys return to them. Matt is rubbing the back of his neck. She thinks it is adorable. He stops approximately in front of her and shifts in place or a bit. His ears are red. 

“Claire, are you free--”

She does not make him finish. Doesn’t let him think he does not have a chance. “I’ll meet you back here tomorrow at seven.”

Foggy looks smug and Karen is delighted.

“...oh.” Matt says before his lips stretches to a full blown smile. “Okay, okay. That sounds great.”

She steps towards him and touches his arm. “I think so too.”


End file.
